Thomas Jefferson High School

Lucy Erspamer

Students and Families: CLICK HERE to connect with Ms. Erspamer!

Lucy Erspamer is absolutely excited to return to Thomas Jefferson High School to continue advising who she believes to be the greatest students in the DFW metroplex, (and beyond.)

Ms. Erspamer was born and raised in East Dallas and is a proud product of DISD schools. She attended Harry Stone Montessori and BTWHSPVA, where she discovered her love of writing. Ms. Erspamer continued her education with a BFA in Comedic Arts with a concentration in comedy writing at Emerson College, located in Boston, MA.

Ms. Erspamer grew up aware of the opportunity gap affecting the students in DISD. She is dedicated to affording the same access she had to college to the students that she advises. As a writer herself, Ms. Erspamer loves listening to students’ experiences and helping them understand that they too have a story worth telling.

In her free time, Ms. Erspamer is a voracious reader, and finishes over 100 books every year. Do not let her see you with a book unless you are ready for a long conversation.


Abril Marquez

Students and Families: CLICK HERE to connect with Ms. Marquez!

Abril Marquez is incredibly excited to serve as an ASP College Advisor at Thomas Jefferson High School. She grew up in Oak Cliff, and is a proud Dallas ISD alumna. She is a first-generation student who attended the University of North Texas at Dallas where she received a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources and Master in Business Administration.

Being a first-generation student Ms. Marquez is familiar with the struggles presented to high school students when applying to universities, thus, she has made it her mission to assist students regardless of background or circumstance to help them succeed in school and life.

Ms. Marquez likes to live her life by a quote from a famous doctor who once said “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” That was, of course, Dr. Seuss. She plans on instilling this mindset in her students because she wants them to understand the importance of education.

In her free time Ms. Marquez enjoys traveling, going to concerts, and spending time with friends and family.


Marie Concepcion

Students and Families: CLICK HERE to connect with Ms. Concepcion!

Marie Concepcion is excited to be an ASP College Advisor at Thomas Jefferson High School. She grew up in Queens, NY, and graduated from The Scholars’ Academy. She is a first-generation graduate from Barnard College of Columbia University, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

Ms. Concepcion was privileged enough to be in spaces that pushed her to succeed and grow at every turn, but she is personally attuned to the unique challenges of being historically underrepresented in education. She is determined to increase opportunities for these populations to enter higher education and access future career and educational development.

Ms. Concepcion wants as many students as possible to experience the novelty, challenge, and opportunity she encountered in college and beyond, making it her mission to fit future students to the best colleges for their long-term goals, not just for the next 4 years.

In her free time, Ms. Concepcion is the biggest reader, running through at least one book a week, and is a lifelong dancer and cheerleader who still occasionally sits in on a ballet class. Don’t be afraid to ask for a book recommendation — she’s always excited to talk about reading!


Heriberto Cano Caro

Students and Families: CLICK HERE to connect with Mr. Caro!

Heriberto Caro is excited to be an ASP College Advisor at Thomas Jefferson High School. He grew up in West Dallas and graduated from Skyline High School. He is a first generation graduate from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors in Business Administration in Supply Chain Management. 

Before joining the Academic Success Program, Heriberto spent four years in the corporate world working in the logistics industry where he managed the transportation of orders for international customers. Heriberto left the corporate world because he realized that he wanted to work for an organization that values human impact rather than quantitative efficiency. Heriberto believes that education provides students the opportunity to foster self-actualization and believes his mission in life is to help people reach their full potential via higher education.

In his spare time, Heriberto likes to train in boxing, write in his notebook, practice improv at the local comedy club, and read books about psychology or philosophy.